Combination switch and bulb mounting



April 26, 1966 c. L. BARNES 3,248,494

COMBINATION SWITCH AND BULB MOUNTING Filed Aug. 5, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. CHESTER L. BARNEQ w/my M ATTDRNEYS April 26, 1966 c. L. BARNES COMBINATION SWITCH AND BULB MOUNTING 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 5 19.63

INVENTOR. CHESTER L. BARNES ATTEIRNEYS United States Patent 3,248,494 COMBINATION SWITCH AND BULB MOUNTING Chester L. Barnes, Kansas City, Mo., assignor to L.P.T. Systems, Inc., Kansas City, Mo., a corporation of Missouri Filed Aug. 5, 1963, Ser. No. 299,700

4 Claims. (Cl. 200-51) This invention relates to electrical switches, and more particularly to a combination electrical bulb mounting and switch.

The use of translucent, artificially illuminated informational devices in connection. with price tag moldings has recently become popularized for merchandising displays. In lighting such devices, wires were usually directed along the molding, and connecting light bulb sockets inconveniently mounted more or less permanently in place on the molding, or relatively complex and expensive bulb socket supporting members which Were removably supportable on the molding were energized by an exposed conductor strip extending therealong. In either case, it required expensive conventional circuit switches for controlling the lighting of individual displays without actual removal of the lighting device or a part thereof.

The principal objects of the present invention are: to provide a light bulb socket support particularly adapted to be used with price tag or similar moldings, whichsupport includes self-contained switching features; to provide such a lighting device wherein the switching structure operates on the over-center principle; to provide such a combination which does not require an exposed conductor strip on the molding; to provide such a lighting device which may be easily actuated and deactuated without removal from the molding; to provide such an illuminating device which is easily removed and reinserted in the same or another position along the molding; to provide such an illuminating device wherein either a screw type or bayonet type bulb socket may be used; and to provide such a combination which is very simple and inexpensive in construction while rugged and long-lived in use.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein are set forth by way of illustration and example certain embodiments of this invention.

FIG. 1 is a perspective fragmentary view showing the illuminating device with a screw type bulb socket and mounted on a price tag molding with a covered conductor strip thereon. I

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional end elevation showing the device mounted on the price tag molding in the off? position.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional end elevation similar to FIG. 2 but showing the device in the on position.

FIG. 4 is a perspective fragmentary view of a modified form of the device which includes abayonet type bulb socket.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a position of the device up-on insertion or removal from the molding.

Referring to the drawings in more detail:

The reference numeral 1 generally indicates an illuminating device embodying this invention shown mounted on a price tag molding 2 having a covered conductor strip described below. The device 1 is comprised of a normally straight strip element 3 of metallic spring material, for example spring steel several thousandths of an inch thick. The element 3 has a length slightly greater than the distance between the opposing grooves 4 and 5 of the molding 2 whereupon when it is engaged 3,248,494 Patented Apr. 26, 1966 therewith bows either outwardly or inwardly as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 respectively.

In FIG. 1, a screw bulb socket 6 is secured at the body or threaded portion 7 thereof centrally to the element 3 by means of a suitable rivet 8 and communicates electrically therewith. The socket 6 threadedly receives a suitable low voltage incandescent lamp or bulb 9. The rear end 10 of the socket 6 includes an insulating and supporting disc 11 for electrically insulating the threaded portion 7 from a base terminal or contact portion 12.

A conductor member 13 is fixed to the terminal or contact portion 12, for example by riveting or soldering, and has an arm 14 which extends radially beyond the threaded portion 7 and element 3 toward the center of the price tag molding 2 and terminates in a point 14'.

The price tag molding 2 has a conventionally shaped body 15 formed from an electrically conductive material such as aluminum usually by the extruding process. The molding 2 includes a frontwardly open concave elongated face 16 covered at least partially with a layer of a suitable electrical insulating tape 17. A conductor strip 18 rests on the layer 17 and, in the illustrated example, runs longitudinally down the center of the face 16 along substantially the entire length of the body 15. The conductor strip 18, forexample, may be formed of copper approximately fii-inch wide and .005 to .007 inch thick; however, considerable variation in material and size thereof may be permitted without departing from the scope of this invention. In order to help hold the conductor strip 18 in place and prevent an accidental short circuit between the strip 18 and body 15, a second layer of tape 19 is placed over the layer 17 covering the strip 18 and securingsame in electrically isolated condition therebetween. It is noted that the tape layers 17 and 19 may extend laterally as far as the grooves 4 and 5, but normally do not enter thereinto since at least one end of the element 3 must be electrically common with the body 15.

A suitable source 20 of low voltage electricity is schematically illustrated in FIG. 1 connected by means of conducting wires 21 and 22 respectively to the conductor strip 18 and the body 15. -A suitable price-indicating display member is indicated by the broken lines 23 and normally covers the illuminating device 1 including the bulb 9, the member 23 being translucent so as to glow from the illumination provided by the bulb. The member 23 is preferably supported by the molding 2 in a conventional manner.

In operation, when it is desired to light the bulb 9, it is only necessary to urge the socket 6 toward the face 16 of the molding 2. The thin spring metal element 3 easily distorts under the pushing force until the rivet 8 is approximately aligned between the grooves 4 and 5 and then the element 3 passes a center position and urges the point 14 against the tape layer 19 with considerable force due to a snap action which drives the point through the tape layer and into electrical contact with the conductor strip 18, FIG. 3. The hole in the tape layer produced by the point 14' is so minute that upon subsequent withdrawal, virtually none of the conductor strip 18 is left exposed. Certain kinds of tape may be used, such as .those having a polyvinyl base, which tend to seal minute holes due to the rubber-like resiliency thereof.

The electrical energy for lighting the bulb 9 follows a path through the conducting wire 22, body 15, element 3,

socket threaded portion 7, bulb filament (not shown) and back through the conductor member 13, strip 18 and 'Wire 21. When it is desired to turn off the bulb 9 but not remove the device 1 from the molding 2, it is only necessary to grasp the screw socket 6 and pull same away from the face 16 until the strip 3 moves past center from which it will automatically seek the outwardly bowed position illustrated in FIG. 2. This will break the electrical connection between the point 14' and the conductor strip 18, thus turning off the bulb 9.

A second embodiment of this invention is illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 and is similar to the device 1 described above except that the socket, designated 24, is of the bayonet type having opposed slots 25 for receiving pins 26 of a bayonet bulb 27 for removably mounting same. Contained within the socket 24 is a spring 28 surrounding and urging a conductor pin 29 against the base terminal of the bulb 27.

FIG. 5 illustrates how the illuminating device is grasped by the bulb socket for mounting or removing same from the price tag molding 2. In mounting the device on the molding, one end 30 of the element 3 is first engaged in one of the grooves 5 and one leg 31 of the elecent (adjacent the end 30) is bent sufliciently to allow the other end 32 of the element to be engaged in the opposite groove 4. Upon release, the device stabilizes itself in the position illustrated in FIG. 2. In removing the device from the molding, one of the legs 31 or 33 is bent outwardly by urging the socket in the direction of one of the grooves 4 or 5 until the opposite end of the element 3 is free to be displaced outwardly from the groove containing same whereupon the device is moved out of the opposite groove for complete withdrawal.

It is to be understood that while certain forms of this invention have been illustrated and described, it is not to be limited to the specific form or arrangement of parts herein described and shown except insofar as such limitations are included in the claims.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In combination, a switch mounting and an electrically conductive price tag molding, said molding having opposed longitudinally extending grooves and a rearwardly spaced face between said grooves, said molding having a conductor Strip extending longitudinally along said face and electrically insulated from said molding, said switch mounting comprising a light bulb socket and a spring metal strip element having opposite ends, said socket being secured to said element between said ends and electrically communicating therewith, said element being slightly greater in length than the distance between said grooves, said socket having a base terminal electrically insulated from said element, an arm secured to said base terminal and extending radially past said socket and element toward said conducting strip, said ends engaging in said respective grooves whereupon said element bows in selectively alternate inward and outward over center positions with respect to said molding for urging said arm into and out of electrical contact with said conducting strip when said socket is urged over center toward and away from said face.

2. The combination'as set forth in claim 1 including, an insulation layer over said conductor strip, and wherein said arm terminates in a point extending toward said conducting strip, whereby said point is urged through said layer when said socket is urged over center toward said face.

3. The device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said bulb receiving body is the screw type.

4. The device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said bulb receiving body is the bayonet type.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,166,657 7/1939 Evelyn 240-1061 2,559,706 7/1951 Brooks 339-99 2,692,375 10/1954 Carson 339-99 2,924,804 2/1960 Frank et al 339-21 2,924,902 2/1960 Luck et al 40-130 3,086,308 4/1963 Ternouth 40l30 KATHLEEN H. CLAFFY, Primary Examiner.

BERNARD A. GILHEANY, Examiner. 

1. IN COMBINATION, A SWITCH MOUNTING AND AN ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE PRICE TAG MOLDING, SAID MOLDING HAVING OPPOSED LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING GROOVES AND A REARWARDLY SPACED FACE BETWEEN SAID GROOVES, SAID MOLDING HAVING A CONDUCTOR STRIP EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY ALONG SAID FACE AND ELECTRICALLY INSULATED FROM SAID MOLDING, SAID SWITCH MOUNTING COMPRISING A LIGHT BULB SOCKET AND A SPRING METAL STRIP ELEMENT HAVING OPPOSITE ENDS, SAID SOCKET BEING SECURED TO SAID ELEMENT BETWEEN SAID ENDS AND ELECTRICALLY COMMUNICATING THEREWITH, SAID ELEMENT BEING SLIGHTLY GREATER IN LENGTH THAN THE DISTANCE BETWEEN SAID GROOVES, SAID SOCKET HAVING A BASE TERMINAL ELECTRICALLY INSULATED FROM SAID ELEMENT, AN ARM SECURED TO SAID BASE TERMINAL AND EXTENDING RADIALLY PAST SAID SOCKET AND ELEMENT TOWARD SAID CONDUCTING STRIP, EACH ENDS ENGAGING IN SAID RESPECTIVE GROOVES WHEREUPON SAID ELEMENT BOWS IN SELECTIVELY ALTERNATE INWARD AND OUTWARD OVER CENTER POSITIONS WITH RESPECT TO SAID MOLDING FOR URGING SAID ARM INTO AND OUT OF ELECTRICAL CONTACT WITH SAID CONDUCTING STIP WHEN SAID SOCKET IS URGED OVER CENTER TOWARD AND AWAY FROM SAID FACE. 